5 need-to-knows for Week Three …
1. Huge Ten journey travails
Michigan State coach Mel Tucker stated he was involved sufficient about this weekend’s journey to Seattle for the showdown at Washington that his workers “talked to some specialists” in regards to the affect of touring west.
We may have saved him the time: It’s a great distance.
The flight from East Lansing to Seattle will cowl nearly 2,000 miles and take about four-and-a-half hours.
A overview of latest Huge Ten historical past on the West Coast ought to give Tucker extra motive to fret.
The Hotline examined each Huge Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup this century and filtered for the circumstances MSU will face on Saturday: regular-season video games performed within the Pacific Time Zone.
Relationship to the 2000 season, the Pac-12 has a 26-10 report in head-to-head matchups towards Huge Ten opponents in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington.
Dig yet one more layer, and the disparity turns into extra excessive: Huge Ten groups are 2-9 in regular-season video games at Washington and Oregon.
Michigan State’s particular historical past is not any higher. The Spartans are 0-3 on the West Coast in the course of the common season since 2000, with losses to Cal, Oregon and Arizona State.
2. Hi there, previous foe
At the least three Pac-12 quarterbacks will face acquainted opponents this weekend.
Utah’s Cameron Rising was 19-of-32 for 153 yards and three touchdowns final yr in aid towards San Diego State, though the efficiency was a tad late to rescue the Utes from a 33-31 loss.
Cal’s Jack Plummer accomplished 25-of-36 passes for 187 yards and a landing final yr for Purdue in a 27-13 loss to Notre Dame.
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. confronted Michigan State twice throughout his tenure with Indiana and accomplished 58-of-80 passes for 656 yards, 5 touchdowns and two interceptions.
As well as, Colorado’s Brendon Lewis began towards Minnesota final yr as a freshman — and fared poorly — however the Buffaloes haven’t introduced their starter. (They might decide JT Shrout.)
3. Chasing mini-perfection
The Pac-12 has a 16-6 report towards different leagues by way of two weeks, with 11 video games on the schedule for Saturday and three extra later within the season.
5 groups are in place Saturday to safe 3-0 non-conference information: UCLA, Cal, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State.
The Pac-12 produced 5 good non-conference information in 2019, when it despatched seven groups to bowl video games.
4. Publicity points
Week Three marks the head of over-the-air tv publicity for the convention, with 4 video games throughout three broadcast networks.
The video games are effectively positioned over the course of the day, beginning with Cal visiting Notre Dame on NBC (11:30 a.m.), adopted by BYU at Oregon on FOX (12:30 p.m.), then Michigan State’s duel with Washington on ABC (4:30 p.m.) and, lastly, Fresno State matchup with USC on FOX (7:30 p.m.).
On the different finish of the visibility spectrum, there are 4 video games on the Pac-12 Networks at three-hour intervals beginning at 11 a.m. with UCLA-South Alabama and concluding at 8 p.m. with Arizona-North Dakota State.
5. Notable and stats
Nuggets that caught our eye …
— Utah scored 73 factors final week towards Southern Utah whereas Oregon plastered Japanese Washington for 70, marking the primary time since 1925 that two Pac-12 groups scored not less than 70 factors in the identical weekend, in accordance with the convention.
— Oregon State hosts Montana State on Saturday at Windfall Park in Portland, the Beavers’ first recreation in Rip Metropolis since 1986.
— Arizona’s protection has pressured 5 turnovers in two video games. The Wildcats pressured six in 12 video games final season.
— USC is 35-1-1 all-time towards Mountain West groups, the lone loss coming to Fresno State within the 1992 Freedom Bowl.
— With a victory over Colorado State this weekend, Jake Dickert would turn out to be the primary Washington State coach to start out 3-0 in his rookie yr since Mike Value in 1989. Value reached 4-0 earlier than a one-point loss to USC.
— The Pac-12’s main rusher by way of two weeks is Arizona State’s X Valladay, a switch from Wyoming who has 234 yards; that’s good for tenth nationally.
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